Lone Star Reducing Stakes Events for 2012

Texas track announces cuts in order to preserve overnight purses during spring meet.

Lone Star Park will reduce its stakes schedule to 12 races during its upcoming spring Thoroughbred meet, down from 19 in 2011, the Grand Prairie, Texas track announced Jan. 26.

The stakes schedule, which includes two graded events, totals $1.3 million in purses.

The two premiere events on the 2012 Lone Star Park stakes calendar are the $200,000 Texas Mile (gr. III) for 3-year-olds and up to be run April 28, and the $300,000 Lone Star Park Handicap (gr. III) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles to be run May 28 (Memorial Day). In 2011 there were three grade III races run at Lone Star Park, including the Ouija Board at a mile over turf for fillies and mares.

"We took a long hard look at our purse structure and felt the best way to support local horseman was to make some difficult cuts to our stakes program," said Drew Shubeck, Lone Star Park's president and general manager. “Eliminating stakes from our calendar was a difficult but necessary decision in order to preserve overnight purses as we attempt to remain competitive with tracks in neighboring states that have purses supplemented by gaming.”

Texas-breds and progeny of Texas Stallions will be showcased in four stakes races July 7 in the 12th annual "Stars of Texas Day." The program will be highlighted by two divisions of the $100,000 Texas Stallion Stakes for 2-year-old fillies and colts and geldings going 5 1/2 furlongs.

The introduction of the "Global Gaming Triple," a three-race series linking the Texas Mile, Lone Star Park Handicap, and the $200,000 Governor’s Cup for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles at Remington Park Aug. 18, seeks to provide horseman additional incentive to compete in all three stakes.

Global Gaming Solutions, owner of both Lone Star Park and Remington Park, has increased the purse of the Governor’s Cup from $100,000 to $200,000 to anchor the series and will offer a $20,000 bonus to be split equally among owner and trainer of the horse that accumulates the most points in the three stakes. A horse must compete in all three designated races to be eligible for bonus money, and points will be awarded to the first through fourth place finishers on a 5-3-2-1 basis.

“We are excited to introduce the Global Gaming Triple linking our major races for older horses with the Governor’s Cup at Remington Park,” said Bart Lang, director of racing at Lone Star Park. “The new series emphasizes the commitment from Global Gaming to improve the racing product at both tracks to benefit horseman and fans.”

Lone Star Park has scheduled 53 live racing dates in 2012, up from 52 in 2011.